Mobile vs. Desktop: What Makes Them Different?

Mobile vs. Desktop: What Makes Them Different?

Content might be king on your website, but it takes more than great content to hook potential customers. The reason for this is that your customers can come to your website in two different ways: through a mobile device or through a desktop computer. The process and experience of browsing a site on a mobile device is very different than clicking through a site on a desktop, so your content has to be formatted accordingly. Is your company doing everything it can to make sure it is easy for customers to learn about your products and services, no matter what kind of device they use? Consider these three factors that separate mobile sites from full, desktop sites.

Content Organization

How content is organized is a key difference between mobile and desktop sites. Thanks to the size and orientation of desktop screens, you can spread your content across the site and include more than one message or image in the same screen space without cluttering your design or muddling your communication. Content navigation can be stretched horizontally across the page for easy clicking.

Designing for mobile devices means scrapping the old, portrait layout. The small screen means that users move up and down for information, and the space constraints limit the amount of images and text you can use in a given area of the page. Horizontal navigation is frustrating for users on mobile sites and should be replaced with a vertical format.

Language

The semantics of desktop and mobile browsing are different, and your sites should reflect that change. For instance, “click” is a word that is associated with desktop users who are navigating with a mouse, while “tap” and “swipe” are more appropriate for a mobile site, on which people are using their fingers. Guide customers through your content with the appropriate language for the device they’re using to demonstrate your grasp of the technology.

Forms

Anyone who has ever tried to fill out a lengthy form on a mobile device knows how maddening it can be. For orders, information requests, and other forms your customers must complete, combine as many fields as possible for your mobile users. For example, your desktop site may have a separate field for first and last name, but your mobile form should combine them into one field. Additionally, mobile forms should have a vertical orientation for the best user experience.

Let Pennington Creative help you maximize your marketing potential with SEO-driven content and graphic design services that can connect you with the right customer base. Visit us online to find out how we can build an industry-specific marketing plan to boost your business’ web and mobile reach.